Lilium pardalinum |
Lilium pardalinum subsp. pitkinense |
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California tiger lily, leopard lily, panther lily |
Pitkin Marsh lily |
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Bulbs | rhizomatous, usually branching, continuously scaly, 1.4–5.1 × 3.9–19 cm, 0.2–0.6 times taller than long; scales sometimes unsegmented but always some 2–4-segmented on each bulb, longest 1–3.3 cm; stem roots absent. |
branching but less often than in subsp. pardalinum, otherwise similar; scales usually 2-segmented. |
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Stems | to 2.8 m, strongly clonal and thus forming dense colonies, to weakly clonal and forming small colonies or clumps. |
to 2 m, moderately clonal and usually forming small colonies. |
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Buds | rounded in cross section. |
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Leaves | usually ± evenly distributed along stem, rarely concentrated proximally, scattered or in 1–6 whorls or partial whorls, 3–19 leaves per whorl, horizontal and drooping at tips to ascending, 4.9–26.5 × 0.3–5.6 cm, 3–34 times longer than wide; blade usually ± elliptic, wide or narrow, margins usually not undulate, apex acute, often narrowly so; veins and margins ± smooth abaxially. |
± evenly distributed along stem, in 2–5 whorls or partial whorls, 3–14 leaves per whorl, ± ascending or horizontal and drooping at the tips, 6.8–22.3 × 1.2–3.6 cm, 4–13 times longer than wide; blade elliptic, sometimes narrowly so, or weakly oblanceolate, margins not undulate. |
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Racemes | 1–11-flowered. |
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Inflorescences | racemose, 1–28(–35)-flowered. |
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Flowers | pendent, usually not fragrant; perianth Turk’s-cap-shaped; sepals and petals reflexed 1/4–1/3 along length from base, yellow, yellow-orange, or orange proximally, darker orange to red-orange to red on distal 1/5–3/5 (entirely orange or yellow-orange in subsp. wigginsii), with maroon spots concentrated proximally and always surrounded by yellow or orange if extending into distal reddish zone, conspicuously green abaxially on proximal ± 1/5, not distinctly clawed; sepals not ridged abaxially, 3.5–10.4 × 0.9–2.2 cm; petals 3.4–10.2 × 0.9–2.5 cm; stamens moderately to strongly exserted; filaments moderately to widely spreading, diverging 7°–22° from axis; anthers ± magenta or sometimes orange, orange-pink, or pale yellow, 0.5–2.2 cm; pollen red-brown, red-orange, brown-orange, rust, orange, or yellow; pistil 3.1–7.5 cm; ovary 1–2.2 cm; style green, often pale, rarely sordid; pedicel 6–32 cm. |
not fragrant; sepals and petals reflexed 1/3 along length from base, yellow-orange or orange proximally, darker orange-red to sometimes reddish on distal 1/3–1/2; sepals 4.9–7.1 × 1–1.7 cm; petals 4.9–7.1 × 1.2–2 cm; stamens moderately exserted; filaments moderately spreading, diverging 9°–18° from axis; anthers magenta, 0.6–1.1 cm; pollen red- or brown-orange; pistil 3.4–4.6 cm; ovary 1.2–1.9 cm; pedicel 8.5–26.5 cm. |
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Capsules | 2.2–5.7 × 1.2–2.1 cm, 1.5–3.7 times longer than wide. |
not measured. |
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Seeds | 123–264. |
not counted. |
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Lilium pardalinum |
Lilium pardalinum subsp. pitkinense |
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Phenology | Flowering summer (Jun–Jul). | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Marshes and adjacent scrub beneath valley oak (Quercus lobata Née) | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
CA; OR
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CA |
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Discussion | Subspecies 5 (5 in the flora). The subspecies of Lilium pardalinum display a classic pattern of discrete geographical ranges with intervening zones of introgression, and no two occur sympatrically without intermixing. Plants in the hybrid zones are confusing in appearance and cannot be assigned to subspecies. However, each subspecies is fairly well marked within its core distribution. With the exception of subsp. pitkinense, the subspecies of L. pardalinum can be common plants in the proper habitats within their rather narrow distributions. Leaf size and shape are quite variable in Lilium pardalinum subspecies and often clearly dependent on environment. In populations that typically have narrow, ascending leaves, shaded plants often have wide, horizontal leaves. This hampers taxonomic separation as well as identification, especially of herbarium specimens. Further field study is desirable. Lilium pardalinum is primarily pollinated by western tiger swallowtails (Papilio rutulus Lucas, family Papilionidae) and pale swallowtails (P. eurymedon Lucas); several species of hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) are also important visitors, especially when butterflies are rare. The Atsugewi, Karok, and Yana ate Lilium pardalinum bulbs steamed or baked in an earth oven (D. E. Moerman 1986). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. The Pitkin Marsh lily is a local isolate of subsp. pardalinum with small flowers, short stamens, and brighter anthers known only from the vicinity of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, California. Celebrated and once quite common in its limited range, it is now protected by the state of California due to dramatic declines from land clearing for agriculture and housing, hydrological disruption, and depredations by lily fanciers and flower pickers. The expression of subsp. pitkinense most faithful to the type is extremely rare and found only in Pitkin Marsh. Plants from nearby marshes are somewhat more variable, and some clones begin to approach subsp. pardalinum morphologically; hybrids or plants virtually indistinguishable from the nominate subspecies occur a few miles from Pitkin Marsh. Subspecies pitkinense can be distinguished with some difficulty from subsp. shastense by its darker pollen. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 188. | FNA vol. 26, p. 190. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms | L. pitkinense | |||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Kellogg: Hesperian (San Francisco) 3: 300. (1859) | (Beane & Vollmer) M. W. Skinner: Novon 12: 255. (2002) | ||||||||||||||||
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